Steve – No, I don't think it looks like suede. And, without getting into the long drawn out version. My apologies ahead of time; I think the line guy either screwed up, the previous owner rubbed the original finish out, weather related, or all the above.
Once again, this is my honest opinion as to why this finish was selected by GM;
My guess is that this was an example of automakers early attempts at addressing glare related customer complaints. Each component listed above (referring to Bill's post) are areas of concern. If they weren't then all other interior paint finishes including the lower instrument panel would have been given this suede finish or vise versa.”And, we can go on and on about this but with all due respect; this is my stand and no one is going to change my mind. End of discussion from this guy...on this topic.